In a conventional filling machine, brick-shaped packaging containers filled with a liquid food such as milk or soft drink are produced in a manner in which a web-shaped packaging material made of flexible laminate is continuously formed into a tubular shape while being transported, and the liquid food is charged into the tubular packaging material.
To this end, a web-shaped packaging material set to the filling machine in the form of a reel is pulled out by drive mechanism disposed at a plurality of locations in the filling machine, so that the packaging material is transformed within the filling machine and sealed longitudinally into a tubular shape. In this case, the packaging material has a laminar structure composed of paper substrate, films covering both faces of the paper substrate, and aluminum foil optionally disposed between the paper substrate and the film.
While the tubular packaging material is transported downward, liquid food is charged into the packaging material from above. To tubular packaging material is then nipped from opposite lateral sides at a position below the surface of the liquid food, so that the tubular packaging material is sealed laterally at predetermined intervals. Thus, a series of original-shape packaging containers having a pillow-like shape, a bag-like shape, or any other shape are fabricated.
Subsequently, in order to separate the original-shape containers from each other, the tubular packaging material is cut, through use of a cutting knife, at each laterally sealed portion, i.e., at a position between two seal lines formed at each laterally sealed portion.
Each of the separated original-shape containers is folded along preset creases into a desired shape. Thus are completed a plurality of packaging containers, each containing the same amount of liquid food.
In the above-described conventional filling machine, when the laterally sealed portion is cut, the liquid food may adhere to the cutting knife, with the result that the adhered liquid from dirties the cut ends of the packaging material.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above problem of the conventional filling machine and to provide a cutter cleaning apparatus for a filling machine which prevents liquid food adhering to the cutting knife from dirtying cut ends of packaging material.